REVIT MEP 2011 Conduit

[ITO]

Well to compete in this new economy I made some changes to how I do things and and what kind of work I can get and REVIT and the BIM process have been a game changer. I only had to lose two jobs to figure out I need to learn the new game.

Learning new software at my age was tougher than I thought and to be honest the decade plus AutoCAD experience I thought would help me ace this turned out to be a complete handicap. Sure I could just hire a Revit operator, but 1) they are hard to come by, 2) I am running lean, and 3) REVIT is a complete blast to run I cant believe I can make money playing a video game.

The AUGI group has been some help, (except when they deleted their forums and lost all their posts). The Autodesk website is functional but not practical for help and the books I have on it seem to be lacking the same level of details the old AutoCAD bibles had.

So here is why I am posting...

Does anyone know of a source for detailed tutorials on how to run conduit in REVIT? I have 6 months, 2 classes and 4 jobs under my belt using it, but it still takes me too long to run the conduit, especially in the vertical plane. Drawing in any plane is pretty easy, its making the transition from x/y to z that is giving me trouble and usually entails starting the run in both planes then joining the two which seems very cumbersome .

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[shamsdebout]

I do not know of a source. I actually tried to find such a reference some time back to no avail.

Congrats on venturing in that market. Revit seems to operate so slow though.

 

[Npstewart]

Honestly, there is a complete lack of resources right now due to the slump in the economy the past years.

In my opinion you were/are probably better off going with AUTOCAD MEP, rather then REVIT MEP. Either way, there are some good forums and resources at www.revitcity.com . So far that is the best site I have found.

I know in Autocad MEP they just added the ability to run Parallel sets of conduit at one time. There is actually a good youtube video on this.

Are you definitely using revit mep and not auto cad mep ? Some people get them confused.

 

[gndrod]

Honestly, there is a complete lack of resources right now due to the slump in the economy the past years.

In my opinion you were/are probably better off going with AUTOCAD MEP, rather then REVIT MEP. Either way, there are some good forums and resources at www.revitcity.com . So far that is the best site I have found.

I know in Autocad MEP they just added the ability to run Parallel sets of conduit at one time. There is actually a good youtube video on this.

Are you definitely using revit mep and not auto cad mep ? Some people get them confused.

After visiting the Revit site, I can see that trying to integrate electrical raceway installations difficult compared to the CATIA system used in the aircraft industry. The N-CAD and CATIA 3-D model constructions are done in a wireform outline in order to use interior positioning of wire and conduit 3-D layouts. N-CAD was the basic s/w I was introduced to in 1986 and subsequently replaced with CATIA that used the same nod point drafting but with a big difference. The raceways, cables and wiring were all constructed in 3-D to actual parts that were assembled into sub assembly material lists up to the top assembly of the overall model.

The initial complexity of constructing a library file and building model may be an intense learning curve, but like anything else the graphic layout, once established, is an invaluable reference point for following designs. It has been a while (1991) so I am not versed in the latest CATIA versions let alone be conversant on the old system. Separate s/w for wire-frame construction is available for purchase on the www.catia 5 tutorial site. The tutorial basic is free. (I.e. starting CATIA) Hope this helps.

 

[ITO]

In my opinion you were/are probably better off going with AUTOCAD MEP, rather then REVIT MEP.

It's not the big that eat the small, it's the fast that eat the slow. For the market I have broken into, REVIT is the only answer. On two of my jobs there are no DWGs, all the native drawings are RVTs. For what is is worth after learning Revit, I will probably never go bad to AutoCAD unless it's the only option and even then I will probably draft it in REVIT, then export it to DWG.

Are you definitely using revit mep and not auto cad mep ? Some people get them confused.

LOL... Yeah I am pretty sure what I am using, I am just trying to use it faster.

 

[Npstewart]

REVIT is more of a full engineering program where as autocad mep is a partial engineering and more geared towards drafting.

I am using autocad MEP because I can work faster with it. I think revit is great but none of our clients send us floor plans in revit or in any type of 3d/BIM format so its not really any use to use.

Good luck with revit either way...Its just extremely difficult to find any type of real resource without finding a local vocational school, ive been trying for months now.

 

[Red Wiggler]

We use both

We use both

Currently we are using both AutoCAD MEP and Revit MEP. We acutally purchase Revit MEP Suite so that we have both AutoCAD MEP and Revit MEP (+ regular AutoCAD)

A large precentage of jobs we are doing and have done is in the AutoCAD MEP format. We have recieved Revit Models, but usually the Coordination Team (MEP Contractors) prefer to use AutoCAD MEP. It is easier to work with.

Revit is getting better now that they have the MEP version available, but still not as easy as AutoCAD. I think there will always be room for both CAD softwares.

 

[steve66]

It's not the big that eat the small, it's the fast that eat the slow. For the market I have broken into, REVIT is the only answer. On two of my jobs there are no DWGs, all the native drawings are RVTs. For what is is worth after learning Revit, I will probably never go bad to AutoCAD unless it's the only option and even then I will probably draft it in REVIT, then export it to DWG.



LOL... Yeah I am pretty sure what I am using, I am just trying to use it faster.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you and I must be living in different worlds.

As far as drafting goes, in my opinion, compared to Autocad, Revit is like using a hammer and chisel on a stone tablet. Sure, it does 3D well, and making sections and elevations is automatic, but for drafting???

Revit did just come out with keyboard shortcuts, but they still aren't like autocad. Try getting a shortcut to draw a circle. I haven't been able to do it.

And the snaps in Revit are really bad. As far as export to Autocad goes, the exported drawings take so much touch-up work I might as well redraw them in autocad from scratch.

Anyway, there is a lot more about revit I could bash on. But I guess I'm just supprised to find someone that likes it better than autocad.

It must just be a matter of personal preferences, and what a person is used to.

Oh yes, as far as learning it goes, there is a steep learning curve, and Revit has a lot of things that aren't intuative at all.

I'd suggest searching Amazon.com for a book on revit. You might even find a few on Revit MEP. But even one that covers Revit Arch. should go a long way toward helping someone learn Revit.

 

[ITO]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you and I must be living in different worlds.

As far as drafting goes, in my opinion, compared to Autocad, Revit is like using a hammer and chisel on a stone tablet. Sure, it does 3D well, and making sections and elevations is automatic, but for drafting???

I can see why you think that, and even shared your opinion for the first three months of learning REVIT. Now I think you are the one using the hammer and chisel. The problem is if you are truly proficient at AutoCAD, then the switch the REVIT is really hard…I mean REALLY REALLY hard. Nothing is the same, nothing translates, none of the tools are the same, the workflow is completely alien and you spend days trying to make it go with little to no help books, message boards support, or support from AutoDESK. In fact you feel like you are using a hammer and chisel, only your forehead is the tablet.

If you can survive the learning curve, then one day you stop telling people, “REVIT is a great product but it just in not there yet” because you realize it is there, only you are just now catching up.

Revit did just come out with keyboard shortcuts, but they still aren't like autocad. Try getting a shortcut to draw a circle. I haven't been able to do it.

LOL…. You are thinking in only two dimensions (so to speak), its hard beat hard beat AutoCAD in 2D lines geometry but t REVIT draws circles just fine. In fact if you wanted to you can build 3D circles (also called spheres) assign data to them including IES files, voltage, VA, manufacture, lamp type, CRI, and even a conduit connector if you wanted, then make them parametric and change them on the fly in a properties menu, and even give them unique names, but then they aren’t circles any more they are fixtures. You can also set them to just print as circles in 2D If you like.

And the snaps in Revit are really bad. As far as export to Autocad goes, the exported drawings take so much touch-up work I might as well redraw them in autocad from scratch.

Snaps? Wow, yeah I forgot about those. With the reference planes, align tool and dimension tools, you don’t really need them, but they are there if you chose to use them.

Anyway, there is a lot more about revit I could bash on. But I guess I'm just supprised to find someone that likes it better than autocad.

It must just be a matter of personal preferences, and what a person is used to.

Oh yes, as far as learning it goes, there is a steep learning curve, and Revit has a lot of things that aren't intuitive at all.

You are preaching to the choir, only I am a convert now. Revit is the most counter intuitive program I have ever used, and the learning curve just about killed me, but now that I am about half way there , I can’t go back to AutoCAD, it is just too slow and lacks all the tools I need.

I'd suggest searching Amazon.com for a book on revit. You might even find a few on Revit MEP. But even one that covers Revit Arch. should go a long way toward helping someone learn Revit.

Thanks, I did that and it was of no help. There was one book and it was a glorified instruction manual. The biggest handicap REVIT has right now is lack of support and lack of instruction....well that and they redesigned the wheel when the made it.

Not to sound to preachy, but a word of advice….it’s coming whether we like it or not. I have jobs right now that the native files from the architect are all REVIT. I just chose to jump on now rather than later.

 

[steve66]

In fact you feel like you are using a hammer and chisel, only your forehead is the tablet.

That funny But lets be honest: With revit banging your forehead on the keyboard never completely goes away!!

LOL…. You are thinking in only two dimensions (so to speak), its hard beat hard beat AutoCAD in 2D lines geometry but t REVIT draws circles just fine. In fact if you wanted to you can build 3D circles (also called spheres) assign data to them including IES files, voltage, VA, manufacture, lamp type, CRI, and even a conduit connector if you wanted, then make them parametric and change them on the fly in a properties menu, and even give them unique names, but then they aren’t circles any more they are fixtures. You can also set them to just print as circles in 2D If you like.

Yes, revit does all that neat 3D stuff, and you can have blocks that carry an entire dictonary of part numbers and specs and all, and lots of other cool selling points that the salesguy can demonstrate. And sometimes that stuff is really helpful.

But sooner or later you are going to want to draw a basic line or circle. And for that, Revit can't come close to Autocad. With autocad, if you have your shortcuts set for common commands, you can type commands in with your left hand while you enter points with your right hand and the mouse. Then you realize how much time iRevit is wasting by making you move the mouse clear up to the ribbon panel, selecting annotate, selecting the detail line box, then choosing a circle, and ... ...

Even selecting objects with revit is lame - I should be able to select an object by clicking on the part that is visible on the screen. Not by clicking near some hidden outline box around an object.

Thanks, I did that and it was of no help. There was one book and it was a glorified instruction manual. The biggest handicap REVIT has right now is lack of support and lack of instruction....well that and they redesigned the wheel when the made it.

Not to sound to preachy, but a word of advice….it’s coming whether we like it or not. I have jobs right now that the native files from the architect are all REVIT. I just chose to jump on now rather than later.

Sorry the book didn't help. The make so many major changes to Revit with every release, that the books become outdated really fast anyway. I assume you have gone through the online tutorials? Have you tried www.cadclips.com ?? Not sure how good they are.

And don't get me wrong. I agree - 3D programs similar to Revit will be the wave of the future. I survived the Revit learning curve, and we use revit here all the time.On a lot of projects, we get our choice of which to use. But for basic drafting I really prefer autocad.

One of these days, someone is going going to combine the best of Autocad with the best of Revit and its going to be an awsome program. Autodesk better get on the ball before someone else beats them to the punch.

 

[ITO]

But sooner or later you are going to want to draw a basic line or circle.

With the exception to one-lines and making new families, I don't draw basic geometry, but when I do REVIT does that too.